best caliber folks and we're still working on some of the build out of white glove service levels and things that first republic spent years perfecting. but i think we're making good progress on that. and so if you have the talent and you're committed, i think we're going to meet success and help push this economy and benefit from it. >> and i'll let you close i will say i say it all the time nobody americans love to kind of hit hard on things that are going wrong but nothing america loves more than a resurrection story. >> nothing more. >> no talk about that. oh, everybody you know around the world people love san francisco and they want it to succeed. and so let's start with that and then we're going to do the basics on our end and i'm telling you san francisco is on the rise. there's no better place to do business and i look forward to working with all of you and your clients and your customers because we're coming back.

>> thank you both. this is great. thank you all. thank you for

. >> all right. good morning everybody and welcome to the march 10th, 2025 rules committee meeting. i'm supervisor walden and chair of the committee joined by vice chair supervisors sherril and president mando min. our clerk is victor young and i would like to thank jaime savary from s.f. gov tv for broadcasting this meeting for us this morning. mr. clerk, do we have any announcements? >> yes. public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda. when your item of interest comes up and public comment is called please to speak on your right alternatively you may submit public comment in in writing in either the following ways email them to myself the rules committee clerk at vc your y o u n g at s.f. cardboard if you submit public comment by email also be included as part of the file. you may also send your written comments via a u.s. military office in city hall when dr. carlton be the place room two

for four san francisco, california nine for 1 or 2 please make sure to silence also phones and electronic devices documents to be included as part of the forest should be submitted to the clerk. items acted upon today should appear on the board of supervisors agenda of march 18th 20 25. >> that completes my initial announcement. >> thank you so much mr. clerk. would you please call item number one? item number one is a ordinance amending the administrative code to permit for reasons that may compromise personal safety . redactions of information otherwise required in the annual economic statement of city funded organizations. >> thank you so much, supervisor madam chair. >> thank you, chair walton i want to begin by thanking the office of the city administrator and organizations that worked with us on on this legislation.

we have heard some interest concerns from the dv community and want to have some time to talk with them about addressing those and so i'm going to make a motion that we continue this item for two weeks but i think we do have public comment which you know would be fine to hear any time. i think. >> thank you so much mr. clerk. would you please call for public comment? >> yes. members of the public wish to speak on this item should line to speak at this time each speaker will be allowed two minutes. >> i thank you for taking public comment. sounds like i will be back again so thank you. supervisors i'm laura thomas. i'm the senior director of hiv and harm reduction policy at the san francisco aids foundation and a resident of district ten. and i just wanted to say thank you for proposing this ordinance. it sounds like there's a little bit more work to do but as an

organization that is determined to stand in our values and stand up for our clients staff volunteers our board made the decision to move forward with a lawsuit against the executive orders of the current administration and we understand that that is necessary and we also appreciate the potential protection that this ordinance may provide to our staff and board members in particular. so we are very much in support of this and thank you for putting forth this ordinance. thank you. thank you. >> are there any additional members of the public would like to make comment on this matter? >> there are no additional speakers. thank you. seen no additional speakers. >> public comment is now closed mr. clerk on the motion on the motion to continue the matter to march 24th 2025 rules

committee meeting vice chair sherril i all i member management and management i chair walton walton i that motion passes without objection thank you motion to continue carries mr. clerk please call item number two. item number two is a hearing to consider appointing seven members terms ending december 31st 2026 to the sugary drink distribution task administration committee. >> thank you so much. and first of all i just want to welcome everyone here and thank everyone who is willing to serve. we have a lot of applicants, a lot of folks with a lot of good experience and so i just want you to know we appreciate each and every one of you. obviously we only have seven seats and there are 19 applicants and so of course you put this committee in a tough, tough situation where we have to make a decision and pick from a lot of qualified folks. but i do just want to say ahead of time i appreciate and thank

everyone. well, we are going to do i'm going to call folks up in order of how they appear on the agenda and everyone will have up to two minutes just to tell us about themselves and why they want to serve. and so you may or may not be here but i'll call in order of what i have on the agenda for today. and first we have chester cao williams. good morning, gentlemen. mr. williams here currently serving on the on the the committee i've been on there for about maybe a year or two years on the committee. i am very happy with the way that the committee has been functioning since i've been on there. i still consider myself to be a newbie but somehow i became co chair but in reality my

background has been with the community community living campaign here in san francisco. they've been around for a long time in helping mostly seniors but helping a lot of people in terms of their health and particularly fdg which i work with in the bayview. mr. bolton's district we have been functioning very well in that district and because of his leadership and because of the needs of the community i feel that i have something to offer based on my experience. i've been with community living for almost ten years and since then we've been able to expand our program from a very small outfit to a very big outfit now we can now partners with meals on wheels where we do most of our deliveries. we cover all of the bayview in a good majority of visitation valley that's our district.

i want to say that i really believe the program should expand not to not only to those areas but also to the west edition and also to lakeview. >> so thank you very much. thank you. thank you. and now we will call up christina for taylor. no christina diane area color hirano i did hear from this applicant and they have withdrawn their application. >> thank you so much gabriela castellanos rumbough hi, good morning rules committee. my name is gabriella castellanos from what i am a

new applicant. >> my current position is the mission children's oral health task force coordinator at garrison, the central american resource center of san francisco. >> prior to that i was a registered dental hygienist for seven years. >> that experience combined with my lived experience as a first generation mexican-american gives me valuable real world insight on just how important the work that the soda tax dollars fund are. >> my years as a clinician showed me just how underserved our communities of color are and how crucial and necessary these programs are. in my current position i provide spanish language oral health workshops to the latin x community which we all know is one of the communities of color targeted by the marketing dollars of these sugary drink companies. >> while living in bakersfield where i went to school i spent time organizing outreach to

farmworkers and new mothers by offering services and preventative education. >> the reason that i became a dental hygienist was because of my mother. >> she lacked preventative education and resources and lost the majority of her teeth by the age of 50. >> i have witnessed firsthand the effects of that on her quality of life and overall systemic health. since then i have done what i can to make sure that her story is not repeated. >> these programs have real world effects and consequences . >> throughout my career i have shown a vested interest too bordering on moral compulsion in the health of my community. this is what i can bring to the advisory committee passion and lived experience. >> thank you. >> thank you. next we have dr. john moore.

>> good morning chair walton president mandolin and supervisor sherril my name is john moore. i'm seeking reappointment having served previously from 2019 to 2021 as a general surgeon first generation chinese-american and military veteran i bring decades of experience to elevate the san francisco soda tax to the next level nationally. my work to curb the consumption of sugary drinks began in 2003 as the president of the american heart association who were one of the first to recognize the connection of rising rates of obesity and sugary drinks and have championed efforts since to reduce the adverse impact on america's health. the hra was joined by the san francisco medical society who launched the bay area movement with a 2009 soda tax resolution first adopted by the california medical association and then the american medical association. in 2014 i served as the fundraising chair for the prop san francisco soda tax which inspired the 2016 prop vs soda tax where i was featured in the television commercials. i summarize the accomplishments accomplishments in a 2018 johns hopkins university paper while i was serving as president of the san francisco marin medical

society and i was also a panelist during the celebration of the five year anniversary of the tax. our bay area success has changed the world's only 20 nation's tax code in 2016 but today over 117 nations globally tax sugary drinks and 2025. a key reason for me to seek reappointment as the success of the 2024 santa cruz measures soda tax i was featured in the campaign and learned of new convincing arguments the soda industry's role in environmental pollution and the population health evidence that soda taxes reduced body mass index bills have emerged in maryland, connecticut and across the nation and i believe in 2026 we have the opportunity to fulfill senator wiener's vision to craft a special tax and to double the revenue. the key is to fund programs and create the scientific base that will prove to voters the efficacy of the tax. i'd be honored to be appointed to a health equity seat on the state's tax. thank you. >> next we have a dinner safer

. >> hi. good morning, supervisors. i'm thrilled to be here today because i'm deeply passionate about the future of our youth and their health. throughout my career i've worked tirelessly to create innovative health care programs always with a focus on roi and measurable impact. recently i've been especially dedicated to empowering young people and lead change in health care particularly in pediatric school based interventions and adolescent behavioral health. i'm not just another candidate. i'm someone who has dedicated years to making a real impact. i have two master's degrees focused on health care. i serve as a board member on the san francisco health plan. i spend time thinking about the city's 180,000 lives many of them young people on this plan . this role is giving me an inside view into the real world challenges of our communities and what they face. professionally, i started a company. i sold it to cvs and spent ten years there working on health

care programs for all types of rare and orphan conditions. in the last ten years i've helped young entrepreneurs launch health care businesses that directly address these challenges. i've seen firsthand how critical it is to elevate their voices in shaping solutions. my leadership roles at oregon elementary gateway charter school and the san francisco education fund further prove my unwavering commitment to the city's future. i'm committed to building programs that drive results not only for today but for the long term. i believe in continuously improving and experimenting with new outcomes measures to ensure we're achieving meaningful change. >> as a parent of two wonderful children raised here and attended public schools here in san francisco, i'm deeply invested in ensuring the next generation is healthier both physically and mentally. i'm ready to push this advisory committee committee to think boldly experiment with new strategies and always focus on outcomes that matter for our youth. >> thank you for considering my application. >> thank you.

and now we have presented patel . >> good morning. my name is shante patel and i'm honored to be considered for a new position on the soda tax advisory committee. as a chief operating officer of senators dental health, the nonprofit dedicated to improving oral health access for underserved communities in san mateo, i bring both strategic leadership and deep commitment to health equity. throughout my career i have worked at the intersection of public health health care operations and community advocacy. i have led strategic initiatives focused on reducing health disparities particularly in communities disproportionately impacted by preventable diseases linked to nutrition including dental disease one of the earliest and most visible consequences of sugar consumption. i have experience with san francisco citywide oral health initiatives, quality improvement program and equity driven health policies making me uniquely positioned to contribute to the work of the soda tax committee. beyond my professional role i am also a parent of two in the

staff usda daniel webster and a community advocate. i understand firsthand the challenges that many families face in accessing healthy food and nutrition education. my experience leading community programs such as my role as a girl scout troop leader has reinforced my commitment to ensuring that public health policies are not well not only well informed but also practical and accessible to the communities they serve. i'm eager to contribute my expertise in health care operations equity focused public health and initiatives. my time at the department of public health and community engagement to help guide the allocation of these funds in a way that maximizes impact. i believe in data driven solutions, cross-sector collaboration and centering the voices of the communities that are most affected by these health disparities. i'd be honored to serve in this capacity bringing my professional and community perspectives to the committee. >> thank you for your time. thank you. next we have john aisha in.

>> john is not here today and next we have melinda burse to melinda marty mcquade the frances abigail cabrera. >> good morning supervisor mandolin sherril and and walton. my name is frances abigail cabrera but i go by abby. and i'm the associate director of research and community engagement within the department of family and community medicine at ucsf. i've had the honor of serving in the research medical institution seat number four since 2021 and the honor of serving as co-chair since 2022 on our sugary drinks

distributor tax advisory committee. i'm seeking reappointment with a desire to continue contributing to the committee whose recommendations have resulted in positive impacts in reaching priority populations that are targeted by the sugary beverage industry and they experience the highest rates of chronic disease such as type two diabetes, chronic disease. so heart disease and tooth decay. i'm happy to share that the sugary drinks distributor tax funds have directly supported these populations and neighborhoods by investing in building community power and capacity to lead efforts to decrease sugary consumption and promote healthy eating and active lifestyles and create healthy environments and policies. in the last fiscal year the sugary drinks distributor tax programs have won provided culture relevant community led direct services to approximately 90,000 participants to 85% of food insecure participants who were

in sugary drinks programs worry less about having enough food and 385% of participants reported drinking water more often and much more. with a new mayor and administration i'm aware of our budget deficits. i'm seeking your support for reappointment because i am committed to continuing the work and i bring the knowledge and context to bring our committee to support all the efforts of our supervisors and your committees. i'm passionate in this work and would be honored to be reappointed. >> thank you for your time and consideration. thank you, anderson. jane the morning reviser walton supervisor amendment and sherril thank you for having me here today. first and foremost i am a native san franciscan. i've been here my whole life and i am committed to the city as long as i am living and working here.

>> and second, i am a believer . i am a committed member of a church in the bayview and i am applying for this seat in this committee to improve human flourishing here in the city. i come from a public health background. i spent the first five years of my career as an evaluation associate at the tobacco control evaluation center where we provide evaluation support to public health programs and organizations to help them inform their work around tobacco control and policies. and drawing parallels from that work. i am now looking to help evaluate the sugary tax dollars that are being put into different programs to improve

community health. currently i work at ucsf as a research analyst within the department of general internal medicine. >> i support projects that deliver more chronic disease care and management through digital technology. >> so i am skilled in research methods, data analysis and i am a i am a data person. i am i love data all sorts of data and what i can bring you on to this committee. if i were to be considered for this seat is my my standards for data integrity and having an unbiased approach to how we're going to spend the money, how are we going to spend the revenue for for the common good here in the city? >> thank you. i can.

>> thank you, jamie schmidt. >> good morning. my name is jamie schmidt. i am an incumbent on the advisory committee and i am seeking a recommendation to continue into a second term. i'd like to thank you the board of supervisors for the opportunity and privilege to serve on this committee. i have seen the dedicated efforts of the department of public health backbone staff, the partnership of the committee members who work in various departments of the city and county and the collaboration work collaborative work from the community membership. the recommendations we make to the mayor and share our neighbors your district constituents innovate programs that seek to solve the community's needs. i am grateful for the creative and passionate neighbors we share to ensure healthy food is available to the food insecure water fills filling stations and parks for the thirsty and we are checking the teeth of our preschoolers and kindergartners. this committee is supporting

our neighbors for the entire life cycle is it's really cool. i am the senior director of clinical research operations at sutter health. prior to that i was the director of clinical research at sutter health california pacific medical center. and in addition to my role as an operations administrator at sutter health, i'm also a researcher investigating the impact of sugar sweetened beverages in the workplace. and in that research i seek scalable interventions to improve our health and wellness while at work. the research i conduct is funded by private foundation grant and the national institutes of health. >> i'm also a dietitian. when i moved to san francisco i worked at san francisco general hospital as a dietitian and a researcher working with patients with hiv and aids. wherever i find myself in san francisco i encounter passionate people who care about the health and wellness of our people. >> it is just the city is just so great and i've lived in san francisco with my husband who was born and raised here and we raised our two daughters here. and like all of you i wear many hats with all the hats i wear.

i see the pervasive impact of the food and beverage industry that seeks to persuade us that we need to eat their food and drink their beverages. the impulse is strong. the feeling is good. yet the outcome commonly ends with preventable diet related diseases. >> i would like to continue to work on this advisory committee to support the priority populations of san francisco to encourage healthy lifestyles. thank you for your consideration. >> thank you. will joseph alex tender coo. good morning everyone. my name is alexander coo and i'm currently a sophomore at the base school san francisco. in the past i've worked at nonprofits such as city hope and the institute on aging and through being a high schooler i've seen firsthand the effects

of sugary drinks at local corner stores where peers of mine have started to over rely on sugary drinks instead of their healthier counterparts. >> got my life. i've also been passionate about learning about racial discrimination in my in our own society and through researching this problem i found that racial minorities bought more sugary drinks on average compared to their white counterparts. finally sugary drinks have had an impact on my own family where the sugary drinks have caused health issues due to overreliance. i've lived at the i've lived in the city my entire life. so working with this committee i would love to share my personal thoughts and solutions as a youth fellow while working with intellectual individuals to help the city i truly love. >> thank you for considering my application. >> thank you. connor thomas meek schuman.

>> okay. good morning everyone. my name is sharon and thank you so much for having me. i am a current junior at law high school and a resident of district four. and my advocacy mainly stems from student at law high school where i serve as a representative when talking to a lot of them administrators like on the principal advisory council or on the ptsa at school safety committee chair where i work with a lot of our administrators at law to meet to examine statistics from school wide and citywide surveys and discuss our findings with students and other school administrators. so connecting this to the study to see i'm aware that we do a lot of research surveying and publishing our findings. so i would say i have the necessary experience in that to participate in discussions and not be afraid to speak up for my fellow youth in san francisco.

so moving on to the committee i have always been one for advocating for people in my community whether it is students at law or on my family living in san francisco. overconsumption of sugary drinks and the lack of awareness of healthier alternatives is a really big issue that a lot of we a lot of people face in all communities in san francisco. on a personal level i have witnessed the impacts of diabetes and dental health first hand from my dad. like i mentioned in my application since my family and i immigrated here in 2018, i've helped my parents with their health policies, insurance and bills by translating on the phone to helping schedule appointments. >> so being on this committee i would work to give really impactful feedback to support the people of san francisco as a young person, asian immigrant and advocate. and although i have not attended a meeting before i've done extensive research through on meeting minutes and published findings. so looking at the evaluation report for the fiscal year 2023 to 2024 i noticed the strategy

used to increase community driven health, education and services as well as collaborating with small bands of businesses and local organizations which are all things that i hope to continue and work towards along with the committee if i am appointed. >> thank you so much and together we can drive commitment into action. thank you so much for listening and i really appreciate your attention. >> thank you. thank you. the mill and we're doing my apologies if i mispronounced anyone's name. >> hello. good morning. my name is jim yamada. dean sorry. i'm a sophomore in high school and i can't do enrollment student at los casitas college . i'm really thankful for to be here and to be able to run for this committee and my experience is it's quite diverse. >> you know, i've i've taken the job to solve these deep unsexy problems in ways that, you know, you wouldn't even

think of. currently i'm leading the h.r. 1511 bill across the whole united states affecting 50 million undocumented immigrants. and i'm fighting for this. another thing is that i am a representative on eric congressman eric cuomo's east bay congressional youth council where i represent over 800,000 constituents within the youth committee and overall within the community and beyond my policy leadership i'm big within local communities. i'm big within you know the small city councils i'm sure you've seen my face thrown if you have it it's good to meet you and i hope to see you more and to connect this to the committee. i believe in kind of pledging my hands into the i hate to be, you know, uncensored here san francisco's filth we see the poor homeless people. we see how easy it is for young people to get their hands across like unfortunately substances and i want to put that money towards education. i want to put that money towards helping people quit. i want to help the youth stay away from that. i want them to stay in school. i want to focus on the community and giving back and i

think the only way we can do that is by kind of putting our time into important things. we need the youth involved, we need me involved and i think i can really provide a lot of value. >> it's more than policy. it's more a culture change. it's just this change around being healthy, being safe. it's a good thing staying in school is good. you know the underrepresented communities need us to help them and with that i thank you for your time. >> thank you. thank you. laura urban good morning. my name is laura urban. i am the associate director of health nutrition with children's council of san francisco and i'm seeking reappointment for seat 16 representing children 0 to 5. in my current role i oversee programing that supports child care educators create and implement policies and programs that encourage physical

activity and good nutrition including limiting consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. i have nearly 13 years of experience implementing and overseeing nutrition security programs at the state and local level, including overseeing the nevada department of health and human services office of food security where one of my roles was to oversee our funds for healthy nevada, which supported community based organizations statewide distribute healthy food to their community. currently as a member of the study tac, i co-lead our data and evidence subcommittee. i also work to enhance collaboration and alignment with shape up asf coalition where as a part of that coalition i am the policy systems and environment action team lead. so as a part of that work i work with other cbos to support them in their advocacy and policy efforts which includes supporting the cdc recommendations.

i've learned a lot over the past couple of years and seen the incredible work and impact that this fund that these funds can have. and i would love to continue to be a part of it. so thank you so much for your time today and for your consideration. >> thank you so much. and i believe that is all the candidates that we have. did anybody come in late that i may have missed? >> if not, we will go to public comment on this item. >> yes, members of the public who wish to speak on this item should line up to speak at this time. each speaker will be allowed two minutes. are there any members of the public would like very public comment on this matter. >> there are no speakers for public comment on this matter. thank you so much. >> scene of speakers public comment is now closed. obviously like stated before this is definitely not an easy task with so many qualified applicants. one i just want to say i love the diversity of the applicants

that we have here the experience of the applicants that we have here. we received of course emails and some applicants. we also receive recommendations from folks who work in this field and so all of you are qualified and all of you of course we want to just thank for being willing to step up and being willing to serve. >> with that said, i'm going to make a motion to appoint chester cao williams to seat one gabriella castellanos rumbough to seat to. >> we are going to continue see three to next week's meeting and give our applicants a chance to be present. >> we're going to move abigail cabrera for a seat for jamie smith for seat five shown motion for seat six and laura

urban four seat 16 yes on that motion. vice chair sherril sherril i remember madam and i met him and i chair walton walton. >> i that motion passes without objection. thank you. motion carries and congratulations to everyone and again we encourage anyone who was not successful today to continue to look out for ways to serve the city. we most certainly want and need your talents and appreciate you for being willing to serve. >> mr. clerk, would you please call item number three? >> yes. item number three is a hearing. consider appointing one member term ending march 17th, 2027 to the veterans affairs commission when seat three applicants. >> thank you so much and again we will provide an opportunity for everyone to speak. that is present.

we have one seat available and three applicants and i will call folks up and order of how they appear on the agenda. >> and first is nicholas russ enough. good morning. good morning supervisors. unfortunately nicholas rubinoff cannot be here this morning. he was called late and there's a medical emergency. i serve as the commission's secretary. >> i wondered if i could share a few comments on his behalf. we will let you speak a public comment. >> okay. thank you. of course, joshua wagner, chairman walton vice chair sherril supervisor gentlemen, my name is josh wagner and i'm a candidate for seat nine on the veterans affairs commission. originally separated from the navy and moved to san francisco

six months ago after 12 years of service. during my time in the military i participated in four aircraft carrier deployments to the indo-pacific where i served as a navy fighter pilot. i'm a graduate of the united states naval academy and stanford university was first introduced to the bay area over a decade ago. in fact i married my wife in this very building almost exactly ten years ago to the day. now that i'm out of the military i've been looking for ways to get involved in both my community and local. i've attended board of supervisors meetings. i've joined next village san francisco, a nonprofit serving our elderly community. i'm also involved in the world affairs commonwealth club becoming a member of the veteran affairs commission would be an excellent way to broaden my public service. i'm intimately familiar with the challenges facing our veterans. we're separating and transitioning from the military. i myself am still going through the process of seeking approval for my own disability claim. i believe that being a member of the veterans affairs commission would be a perfect avenue to combine both my passion for our community and

my experience as a veteran. thank you so much for your time and consideration. >> thank you so much. >> barkley sanders good morning supervisors. my name is barkley sanders i'm a resident of district six. since i moved here about eight years ago i'm a former signal system support specialist within the army national guard and finished in 2020. i've also worked in the tech industry for robinhood and facebook where i supported over 100,000 different employees and in my time here i was a probably homeless veteran that does really understand the process and benefit process to essentially be able to take care of other veterans and may have to go through the same process as me as probably homeless veterans. >> i've also served on sfp back

and i'm the current chair of the power subcommittee. i was also on the treasure island development authority cac to help them expand housing rights be able to get exempt from tolls and also just help to fix the park for the kids there. i've also worked with other fellow veterans myself to use things like charity t to help process their claims quickly. one of my own buddies when he got out he was struggling with finding employment and getting access to benefits and i was able to work with him just over two hours and leverage the technology that's currently out there and available to everyone to essentially be able to help him process his claim in two hours instead of sometimes what would people consider basically an average of about 100 days to process a va claim? i also leverage a lot of this the public records request system to get information to essentially fix a lot of these problems. so i'm hoping i get the opportunity to serve other veterans in my community. >> thank you.

>> thank you so much. and i believe we have heard from our candidates seeing no statements or questions from my colleagues. >> mr. clerk, would you please call for public comment? yes. members of the public who wish to speak on this item shall line up to speak at this time each speaker will be allowed two minutes. thank you. good morning supervisor if i could just read am some comments from commissioner rubinoff and supervisors i sincerely apologize for not having been able to attend in person today. yesterday i was in the hospital receiving treatment for a serious foot injury and the resulting medication has made me unwell. however i do not want to miss the opportunity to express my deep commitment to continuing my work on the san francisco veterans affairs commission.

over the past years i have dedicated myself to strengthening the commission fostering a team that actively advocates for veterans and working closely with the veterans justice court to ensure that those who serve the country our country receive the support they need. looking ahead i am committed to elevating the role of the county veterans service office securing funding necessary for its critical work and expanding support for programs like veterans healing veterans which provides essential resources for rehabilitation and reintegration. i appreciate your time and consideration of my reappointment and look forward to continuing the important work. thank you. and i'd also like to note that currently the ic is serving as a vice president of the commission which he also volunteered to do last year. >> thank you supervisors. thank you so much. >> are there any other members of the public would like to comment please line up to speak. >> if you wish to speak please line up to the right side of

the podium. you are you have the mike i. >> good morning commissioners. my name is john rice weber. i am of a vietnam combat disabled veteran. i live in san francisco and have for 21 years in district nine and i am currently one of the commissioners on the san francisco veterans affairs commission and have been for approximately a year. during that time i've come to know and admire nicholas bruce and off he performs his duties as vice president and commissioner and amplifying fashion with personal outreach to the veterans community to evaluate and identify their needs to bring them to the committee for review and

discussion and then submit them to you. >> supervisors being passionate about veterans nick is also kind and compassionate. his outreach includes being extraordinarily involved in the veterans court aiding and assisting san francisco veterans who are most at risk in our community and helping them receive assistance with housing counseling and additional treatment. getting them off the streets and into programs to enhance their life and enable them to lead productive and fulfilling lives. he was unanimously elected as vice president of the veterans affairs commission last december, which demonstrates his leadership ability. i am honored to know and work with nick peart moose and off and cannot think of a better person to be on the veterans

affairs committee commission. >> thank you very much and next speaker please. >> my name is john gibson. i'm a marine corps veteran and veterans rights advocate. i've. >> i wanted to say that barkley's work that he's done with the homeless veteran community is second to none. >> i apologize. would you mind getting a little closer to the microphone barkley's work that he's done with the veteran community is second to none. he's identified key linchpins within our community and he's not only applying a level of vision but also a level of action. and i feel like this is the type of initiative that we need in this commission. thank you guys. thank you.

are there any additional members of the public who like to make public comment? hi. >> hi. good morning. i'm carrie barnes and i recently joined the leadership of moms demand action. around the time that i got these readers so i. i have to have them on my face . we support mayor larry's appointment of manny scott to the police commission. >> so just just to stop you real quick, we are i apologize. public comment on the appointment of the veteran affairs commission. >> oh, i'm so so that item is item number five. i am so sorry to skip ahead. i guess i was really excited about it and so are you, matty. okay, we'll wait patiently. thank you. so i will come back. thank you. any more public comment on item number three seeing no more public comment public comment is now closed and again i just

want to take the time to thank all of the applicants. obviously all of you are qualified and we appreciate you having the willingness to to serve to serve. >> unfortunately we do have one seat. and there are qualified applicants and i will say that commissioner, just enough as vice president who continues to come highly recommended from his colleagues as well as the veteran affairs office itself, someone who i think deserves the right to continue to serve. so i'm going to move that we appoint nicholas ross enough to seat one seat nine. >> i'm sorry to see nine my buddies yes. on that motion by sherril sherril i remember amendment i mean i chair walton i will deny that motion passes without objection motion carries and again thank you so much to our

other veterans who are willing to continue to serve this city and now we call for item number four. >> item number four is a motion approving rejecting the mayor's nomination for the appointment of alfonzo felder to the municipal transportation agency board of directors term ending march 1st, 2027. >> thank you, mr. felder, you have the floor. >> please tell us why you want to serve on the mta board of directors. >> yes. good morning supervisors president management supervisor walton and sherril. thank you for having me here today. i am a native san franciscan and i'm honored to have this opportunity to serve san francisco and its citizens in a role that i think i'm uniquely qualified for. >> i've been a muni rider since before i could walk. i've relied on you need to get to school and to work. >> i know the mta well and can see it from many perspectives. i have the perspective of a parent who's raising a family in san francisco and i appreciate that every

generation of residents has different needs that we need to recognize. i also see the mta from the perspective of a member of the business community. i've worked with the mta for decades through my work at the giants and through our work on the mission rock development. i understand the importance of the unique multi-modal transportation system that we have here in san francisco and i appreciate the obligation that we have to uphold our city's values through our transportation system. we must be focused on continuing to set a high standard in terms of sustainability safety and service to all san franciscans despite the significant financial challenges ahead of us, i'm incredibly optimistic about the future of our city and the mta. we'll have to make tough choices but i'm committed to facing these challenges with a practical common sense approach that seeks out diverse perspectives to make informed decisions. my background and experience will serve me well. i have a degree in urban studies and i'm a lifelong student of san francisco. i'm currently the executive

vice president of administration for the giants where i serve in an operating capacity and as i said have worked with the mta for years. my first professional assigned it was to oversee the transportation plan for pacific bell park. that was a tough that was a tough task. but i worked with the city and we as the giants worked with our fans to make sure that that plan worked. and i'm proud of the sustained success of the ballpark's transportation plan my work on the development of the ballpark and the transportation and the mixed use project at mission rock have taught me how to engage, collaborate and build consensus within our community. i've also led a nonprofit with a mission to preserve neighborhood cinemas in san francisco. this role is connected me to neighborhood groups and small businesses and i know how to engage the public and that's a that's a key role for me if i'm so lucky as to be confirmed for this role at the mta. ultimately we're fortunate to have a great transportation system in san francisco which i have great confidence in it. it's a system that has come really far.

it is more equitable, more accessible and safer than the system i experienced as a child in san francisco and it will only get better. i look forward to serving the city and welcome any questions you have of me. >> thank you so much. >> i see so far the show has a question or comments or questions if i can ask for a clarification. will public comment come next? yes. after yes. >> great. thanks man. thank you. i do have a question, mr. felder, what's your philosophy on how to address the fiscal cliff that mta is facing right now? >> i mean i think the first thing we need to do is we need to recognize that we've got to listen we've got to listen to the needs of our city and the constituents that we serve and then we've got to listen to the mta itself and take the good advice that they're going to provide and then we're going to have to evaluate what what options we have to bridge that gap. i think the near term gap that we have is manageable over the

course of the next year. but as you look a few years ahead that's a bigger challenge and we're going to have to make tough choices. but in making those choices we've got to do the best we can to serve the majority of our citizens as best we can. and that's going to that's going to require us to evaluate the system in its in its in its current state. but i'm confident that we're going to be able to do that smartly and wisely and consistent with our values. >> thank you. see no other questions or comments from colleagues. we're going to call for public comment on this item. >> yes, members of the public who wish to speak on the sign up sheet line speak at this time each speaker will be allowed two minutes. are there any members of the public would like to provide public comment on this matter? >> there's no speakers that you see no speakers. >> public comment is now closed. president madam thank you chair welcome. i just want to say i think this is a very strong appointment. >> mr. felder has contributed in numerous ways to san francisco and i'm looking

forward to seeing him contribute in this way as well. >> so happy to support this. thank you. supervisor sure. likewise. i want to thank mr. felder for being with us here today. i appreciate you coming and speaking with me directly about our experiences as parents and as someone who's a lifelong san franciscan and who lives in the house he grew up in. i think you have a unique perspective to lend to us and your experience operationally developing transportation plans around very important areas specifically the ballpark for this city. so i'm very grateful for your willingness to serve and i'd like to move to amend the motion to remove the word rejecting and move forward a motion approving alfonzo felter to the mta board of directors. >> thank you. and before we vote on that, i would like to just say to mr. felder i, i definitely recognize your contributions to this city and i want to say that once this appointment is

moved forward you will have to get a little bit more specific on how we're going to address the fiscal cliff that exists for mta but definitely am supportive of the roles that you have played here in san francisco. >> mr. clerk yes, on that motion vice chair sherril sherrill i remember and i know me and i chair walton i will deny that motion passed without objection to amend to a to approve the nomination by deleting the word rejecting and recommended to the full board. >> thank you. motion carries mr. clerk would you please call item number five? >> item number five is a motion approving rejecting the mayor's nomination for the appointment of madi scott to the police commissioner for a term ending april 30th 2026. >> thank you so much and i believe miss scott is here present you have the floor.

thank you. good morning for giving honor to god for getting me and up this morning and all of us and good morning to you chair shimon walton, president mandolin supervisor sherril and clerk mr. victor young, it is an honor to stand before you today with this nomination for mayor laurie for this position. i am humbly grateful for it as i've been working in this field for over 50 years now. >> as you all know i lost my son to gun violence july 17th, 1996 right here in the fillmore west in addition two blocks from city hall and i've been doing this work prior to his death because of all of the tragedies that we faced here during the crack cocaine epidemic and the police

brutality that was taking place at that time i know that i can bring unity and resolve to the police commission by serving i've worked with the police department under the last three administrations chief shaw and now chief scott. my work speaks for itself. i love doing intervention, violence prevention, intervention and education awareness around community policing and i know that i can bring the community and the police together to make our cities safer and stronger. we have both that now this last year crime has gone down but we know we have a lot of work to do and thanks to you all supervisors in our elected officials working together and rolling up our sleeves is the answer that is the answer and violence prevention holding police accountable at the same time holding our community

accountable and looking at both sides and working with them strongly. >> so i'm honored to stand here before you representing victims of violence on both sides representing those who are hurting in our community and to bring peace, peace, unity and strength to the police department, to our communities and to bring accountability on both sides at the same time to raise awareness to deal with public safety in the best way possible. engaging policemen to join us in our community efforts getting to know our neighborhoods, walking the beat ,our children not being afraid of them our young men not being afraid of them and empowering them to someday want to serve and become police officers

themselves. >> that's what we're working toward our young women and our young men from our communities engage in them and teaching them as we always say, each one must reach one and teach one. that is our goal too. that's when we will stop the killing and start the healing on both sides. it's just like a good part of gumbo. >> we need all the ingredients all the ingredients to make a good part of gumbo. so we need you our board of supervisors. we need our young people. we need our organizations, our sybil's and our faith leaders. we need our mothers, mothers and fathers in the community to work and strengthen and build these relationships that we have done so successfully here in san francisco. i want to continue to do that. i want to continue to serve so that we can walk down the street proud what our officers knowing who our children are, know who our grandchildren are, no one who is suffering from mental illness now, no one who has a problem you know, and get and seek and help for them that is the goal of surgeon on this

police commission to build and strengthen the relationships that we've already done and to help stop the killing and start the healing for safer environments for safe safer san francisco because our city of san francisco is beautiful. >> i love the city. thank you, miss scott. >> thank you so much. thank you. >> seeing no comments or questions from colleagues, mr. clerk, will you please call for public comment? yes. members of the public who wish to speak on this item shall line up to speak at this time each speaker will be allowed two minutes. >> hi again carrie barnes i am here to speak on behalf of mary scott appointment to the police commission. as i mentioned a couple minutes ago i recently joined the leadership team of moms demand action. so i represent the many i've been asked to represent the many for moms demand and brady who wanted to be here today. we support mayor lurie's

appointment of manny scott to the police commission. matty is a public safety advocate and gun violence survivor as she discussed, it's important to have voices like matty's in the room when confronting issues like this which disproportionately affect women in general and moms in particular. gun violence is an epidemic and needs to be treated like the crisis that it is. here are just a few crazy stark stats. >> gun violence is a leading cause of death for children and teens in the united states. >> that's just one number to approximately 75% of pregnancy associated homicides are committed with a firearm. and lastly, every month an average of 76 women are shot to death by an intimate partner in the united states. this really impacts all aspects of women's life. these are just a few of the stark suggest kicks in and really we need to put a stop to it.

as a city we have to prioritize public safety and set a model for other cities to follow. confirming madi scott to the police commission would demonstrate our commitment to gun to gun violence intervention as well as elevating the voice of a woman who represents peace, strength and accountability. >> so thank you. >> good morning. >> members of the board of supervisors in this committee. my name is nancy tongue. i am the chair of the san francisco democratic party. i am also a career prosecutor. >> but i come before you today as a mom. i became a mom in 2017 with the birth of my first child and five months later i became a mom demanding action in sacramento. >> and over the course of the subsequent years i got to know maddie scott as a person of integrity, a person of community and a person who

really wants to pursue not just justice but fairness. >> she has been a lifelong advocate for her community for reduction of gun violence. she participates alongside of brady in gun buybacks and making sure that our communities are safer. she is there for survivors. she organized and hosts a mother's day survivors luncheon for people who have lost their children to gun violence. >> and she has been the tip of the spear in the community for making sure that there is safety and reform within the police department in san francisco. >> not only is madi scott this community hero, she is my hero because to continue to do this work for the decades that she has and to center it around victims and survivors of gun violence is something i think

that is essential and missing from the police commission and i urge you to support her nomination. >> thank you. >> good morning, supervisors. my name is lawrence lee. i'm a san francisco native and a resident of district eight noy valley. i'm also a member of the community police academy and a and i'm speaking today as a member of the board of the advancement for asian-americans. this is a this is a group that's been involved in a lot of report card for for politicians. i want to speak as a representative of this board and we we as we as a community have come a long way in the last few years and a lot of it has been very painful and speaking about pain and suffering and this is something that is still very important in this in this important time . and we recognize the voices of

people who have worked with us when it was harder when it was tough and and there are so many people who have spoken to us about how many spoke up with us for all the cases that have been tough that have been continue to go on and so we really appreciate all her work and we support her nomination for this board in this time. >> it's it's very important to to think about pain suffering and i've done some reading about buddhism and there's a story about the second arrow and the story goes of someone who received an arrow and obviously it was very painful but it's the second there's the second response. it's a second response of how you act and how you feel, how your mind works under that situation and her response her story is so inspiring and we would appreciate it if she can have this chance to join the board. >> thank you.

>> good morning. board of supervisors rules committee. my name is michael siracusa. i am a d-3 resident here. i'm here to voice my support here for madi scott. i think her amazing background both in community violence prevention as well as working with the police department would be a very, very valuable perspective on the police commission and helping shape our city's environment of safety here. in addition, after hearing her speak today about her passion for community policing, i think that that's a very, very important aspect of the police department that i'd really like to see developed and encouraged more and so she has my full support. >> thank you. thank you. >> just a reminder if you do wish to speak, please line up to the right of the podium. >> good morning, chair walton president randleman supervisor

sherril my name is john. i'm a general and acute care trauma surgeon from district two deeply honored to rise in support of the nomination by mayor lori have met scott to the police commission. i became involved in the firearm safety topic while serving as the president of the northern california chapter of the american college of surgeons in 2012 after newtown. as honored to be appointed to the brady regional leadership council where i met mattie about five years ago. i've been most impressed by her determination, by her translating a very powerful story of the loss of her son george into action. i believe that her efforts are unparalleled here in san francisco. i've been most impressed by her activity nationally with the brady campaign in the white house. one of our leadership, cath sokoloff focuses on her way here to speak in support as well. but i urge you to support the mayor's recommended action in nomination. i think she will unify and catalyze great change for the city of san francisco. >> thank you.

>> good morning, supervisors. i'm christine pelosi, a resident of san francisco and a long time friend and supporter of mattie scott. and i'm here to speak in support of mayor lori's nomination of mattie to the police commission. i first met mattie years ago through my own mother nancy pelosi when they were fighting for enforcement of the assault weapons ban and they were fighting for resources in the community after sandy hook. it is all three of you well know suddenly the nation was gripped by with the pain of gun violence. but the fact of the matter was there was a lot of pain that was democratized but not the hope and not the resources. mattie scott and friends were still camped out on the steps of city hall during mother's day not welcomed inside. and in fact then supervisor london breed and i moved the mother's day line to the pre mother's day launch inside and then reverend amos brown took us in at third baptist.

but that happened because of mattie. mattie didn't stop. mattie made sure that there was one unified vigil on the sandy hook tragic nursery and that it was combining everyone in the community not just people that look like me but people who were living mattie to experience the fact that mattie over and over and over again brings mothers of perpetrators and mothers of survivors together. even doing that once would be exhausting emotionally for anyone. >> but for her to do that over and over and over again is why she has the fortitude to do this work. and i hope that not only will you support her and vote for her but also that you will support the reforms that she champions when she's on the commission. >> thank you. next speaker please voting supervisor is my name is

carlotta jackson lane executive director sojourner truth foster family services agency is a founder of saving a dream incorporated. i am past co-chair and member of the san francisco behavioral health commission, a mediator for the office of police compliance i'm sorry and a member of the african american police advisory board. i have been a resident of san francisco since 1960 and i am the proud daughter of of my father james dale jackson, senior 35 year veteran of san francisco police department and i support the appointment of manny scott by our mayor daniel levy. i know i have no memory for over 25 years and work with her side by side since the days at paradise baptist church appealing for our support group on san jose's street in lakeview near to sit in city. i recall when kamala harris was

the new district attorney and her staff would come to support mothers who had lost children to gun violence. they were looking for information and to bring justice to those unsolved homicides. maddie's not only an advocate for the families in the fillmore in the western district but she worked tirelessly with families in the visitation valley and my office the village to 99 sunnydale and previously was sharing hewitt marie's love and compassion for survivors of gun violence, gun violence prevention and a willingness to speak truth to power has empowered communities and families throughout the city serve francisco the state of california the brady campaign and nationally with mothers in charge. thank you for your time. >> good morning. my name is dorothy tsuruta. i'm president of the golden gate section in cedar in c and

w and i'm a college professor and i've got to knowing betty her dedication and her hard work anybody who's known somebody killed by violence or heard of it most of us have although mine are in detroit and chicago but i know that that is such a horrible situation and for mattie to give her life to fighting the violence and gun violence, it's she would be just perfect on this commission. police commission. she's she's got a great humanity. >> she's got a sweetness. she's got a calmness and she's non stopping in her dedication . i plead with you to please support her to be on this commission. in many ways i'm just an ordinary citizen asking for support of this wonderful woman. thank you.

my name is frank noto. i'm speaking on behalf of stop crime action, the stop crime act an action supports victims and crime prevention. >> ms.. scott has had three years spent three years of her life supporting victims and crime prevention especially prevention of violent crimes. so it's naturally natural that that we would support her for this appointment. we believe she supports supports a strong well-trained police force. she's worked with the police intensively and observed them over the last 2030 years and we hope she will work for that and work for doing changes that will make the our police force increase recruitment and

retention. >> thank you. thank you. >> still mourning. >> yeah. oh, thank you. i'm here to to you know, just to bring up the you know, me and matty we're mothers and we've lost our children to homicide so i feel the need to support her that she supported me even though i don't understand the ticklers of this position, you know, and the expertise of this position. but i guess we all have to start somewhere and you know i bring these can i use the overhead? i bring these pictures of our children as you see here is her baby and here is my baby and

and just what the what the system has left us with is emptiness and no no resolutions for our children. so i'm hoping that this position helps us as mothers and fathers who've lost their children to homicide and police brutality. again, like i said, i don't understand this position. it's been it was a surprise to me but i think as we all come together this mothers and fathers and support each other i am for that and i wouldn't want that to happen to me as i go on with my endeavors for supporting my child that was murdered shot 30 times with a semiautomatic gun and it was community violence. it didn't have to be a police

violence. but you know the grief is the same. so i stand and i pray that we all support each other and keep supporting each other. again, i don't understand this position but i don't care as long as is helping us. >> thank you. are there any additional members of the public who like to provide public comment on this matter? there are no additional speakers. thank you. seeing no additional speakers, public comment is now closed. >> president madam thank you chair walton and i will be brief but again as with the mta appointment i think the mayor has made an excellent, excellent choice. i have not had the opportunity to work closely with mattie scott but i am a san franciscan and therefore i know that mattie scott is a legend and and adding your voice and perspective to the police commission seems to me like a very good thing to do in this moment. so thank you for your

willingness to serve and thanks to the mayor for this appointment. >> thank you president madam and supervisor sherril thank you chair walton mr. scott, i want to thank you first and foremost for your willingness to serve your commitment to action both before and after the deepest of tragedies is incredibly inspiring to me personally. gun violence is a scourge and it's a preventable scourge and i want to thank you for your work. i'm highly encouraged by three things you said. first, prevention. it's indeed the best way to keep our city safe. second is accountability and i appreciate you brought that up because without trust we cannot have safety. and the third was community. please continue to push for engagement with the community both of our officers working with the community but also spending time in the community. i really appreciate that you said that. >> i also want to voice my support for your continued efforts to shine a light on communities at risk that don't

get enough publicity. >> marginalized communities suffering from gun violence, domestic violence and especially protecting children . as a father i see how your work is driven by love and i want to thank you. >> with that i'd like to move to amend the motion to remove the word rejecting and move forward a motion approving the appointment of mattie scott to the police commission. >> thank you so much, mr. clerk on the motion? yes, on the motion to amend and recommend to the full board vice chair sherril hyatt. know i read momentum and i and i mean i chair walton i will deny the motion passes without objection. >> thank you. motion carries. >> mr. clerk do we have any more items that completes the agenda for today. >> thank you so much. we are adjourned. >> thank you. thank

welcome to san francisco's new revitalized qatar valline this is not just an upgrade is a community transformation.

taraval street under a complete make over from 10 feet below the street to 30 feet above. >> it is part of the taraval improve am project to impprove transit performance and make the streets safer for all who use them. completed on time and on budget, this multiagency construction project is a once in a generation investment to bring safer, more reliable train service, increased accessibility. beautiful corridor, refresh roadway and reliable water and sewer systems for decades to come. >> safety is at the forefront of this transformation. new train boarding platforms are a game changer for safety am before the project 5 people per year were hit by vehicles gettinga or off trains we add 22 new or extended boarding plat

forms on the route. riders no long are exit on the street along side traffic. when my kids were young it was heard they want to plunge off the train straight in the street. up on the h stop now we have the platform that is broader when they are excited get off the trin and get home i feel better about them jumping off the train. >> having island where hay step on to is a giant improvement. >> these disability crosswalks look good and improve safety by making it noticeable to drivers. >> sidewalk extensions at intersection corners shorten the distance needed to cross the street and slow downturning vehicles. these and other safety treatments are proven tools to reduce the risk of collisions make the taraval corridor safer and inviting for people walking

and driving. another key part was replace being two miles of train track for thes first time in almost 50 years. the old tie and balist track was built for muni oldt cc streetcars and old are light trail trains not today's modern vehicles and it was noise and he prone to vibration. >> these new rails will make for a smoother, quieter ride and require less maintenance. it is much quieter with the new impresumes i livid here the entire time and plays earthquake or municipal when he it came by now we don't have to play anymore >> before when the streetcar went by i would stop talk the street cars would rumble past now i share that confirmation. i like the fact well is not a 3.4 quake every time they go by now. it is quiet temperature feels

like sliding on glass. >> this project is more than rails and concrete it is people earngaging with their community. >> local residents and merchants have told us when their community need and had than i want in their neighborhood. a quieter reliable train roadway and safer streets for people walk. gi think it is essential. i'm excited and wonderful to have a safe way it get to work i work on embarcadero i take it to the end of the line every day >> through open house, public meetings and surveys members helped shape where the stops should go to the curb plan and selecting trees and art work for the corridor. >> we relied on community feedback during construction of the project. with voting held to choose where to stow construction materials and how to sekwenls the construction. >> as a result the project was

split in two segments to reduce impacts to the community. access ability is at the forefront of the design. new features ensure people all abilities enjoy seamless travel on the taraval. these platforms and key locations have a raised boarding area level with the train to help people with walking aids or strollers board more easily. >> warning lights are flashing. >> pedestrian signal announcements assist with visual impairment its cross the street. new curb ramps are essential in providing accessible path of travel on to and off of sidewalks. the sunset district has long been shaped by transand i the qatar valcontinues linking past to present. on the heels of a new tunnelful

muni tear van line opened as a shuttle from westportal to 33rd avenue in 1919. it was not until a few years later the trains used the tunnel sparking a population boom. previously, riders transfer to the circumstance line to go east of what is today known the westportal neighborhood. by 1923, passengers could catch a one seat read on the taraval between downtown and 48th avenue. for the first time, san franciscans had a connection from the bay to the ocean tide. the taraval street cars brought development people could access the south western neighborhoods. homes and buildings sprung up from the once empty dunes. this vielth east/west corridor

is the spine the neighborhood carrying over 30,000 daily riders when service last ran the route in 2019. today, it is a bustling local business that give this area its flavor fr. cafes to quirky but teaks the taraval connects tout best of san francisco's small business scene. >> i lost fact it is not a money on cultural it is multicult rar. korean, chinese. vietnamese. french. italian. we got irish. we got a lot of good mix on this street of restaurants and businesses in those cultural veins and good ole american. helping local line help our small businesses because this is again a small community. and the traffic here is not if

you have to generate big revenue. with the l train from other parts of the city to this area has help us the small merchants as well to generate more business. >> taraval street is a reflection of the outer sunset's unique character. >> this two mile stretch of transit is not just getting from a to b it is reimagining how we move through our city to shop, dine and experience more in the places we live. >> i live in the suburbs i have to take a car or a bus that was an experience i never did again as a teen. now my kids can visit their friends cross the establishment it is a huge increase in their freedom and independent. one of the reasons we chose to raise a family in san francisco. >> it is wonderful to have a safe, clean reliable way to get to work for the neighborhood i'm excite body what it means to

bring others back to our neighborhood. we have, let of interesting shops and restaurants and i'm excited to see how things become when it is easier to get here. >> a lot know each actively it is a close knit community. in my shop i know customers by name i know what they'll order and i have it ready for them. >> what i'm most excite body the street is now unified, we have new paved roads and new rails. and new lighting. new boarding island. >> today, your new street features newrism upgrade water and sewer pipes. 5 new priority signals that hold green lights when trains approach. sidewalk extensions to make pedestrian crossing safer. high visibility crosswalks and ramps. safe boarding islands and platforms. new trees, landscaping and art.

is it time you responsiblesed this corridor to the end of the line? with great food, walks on the beach and san francisco's new add upon ventures a ride away now the sunset district is more accessible than ever. [♪music♪] ♪♪ ♪♪

>> you would walk into the door and encompass two doors with the stitch and clothing and factory side and fellowship ensure educational component of the development program workshop, classes, internships and apprenticeships. it's a pipeline through to the four deposit and i got in trouble with graffiti and fell into the law and the land and had to make a change. it's a wall, a gallery. three days after i got in

trouble and got out and the other things, i took a nap during the day and in the middle of the nap something said learn how to sew. i thought why. i called my mom immediately and she said i used to do that in japan and i said why did you stop, because i had you. so i thought i would keep that going. everybody presents printing the shirts and skate boards and t-shirts. i thought what is another commodity than t-shirts and it was jeans. i took a sewing class and they said don't do it. and i started sewing jeans. that's how i started and never stopped. my friend said she's a

residential counselor for youth and that's what got me into education. i thought, what's up, bro? i didn't want to criticize and these kids and it just clicked. whatever happens. this is it. i'm going to use that skill that i got in trouble for translating into this and now i'm sewing jeans and behind learning is also teaching. education and graffiti, that became the holy stitch that synergy of youth, art, community, safe space. the safe space questioning and why aren't jeans made here and how come youth are generating jobs and empowering themselves and get your clothes fixed.

to be able to distribute that off the screen, vacant vibrant allowed that. vacant vibrant helped to pair new businesses with storefront to create new opportunities for downtown. this project has given it a number of kinds of businesses the opportunity to test the waters in downtown and explore exciting new models that work for an evolving downtown neighborhood for workers, visitors and residents. >> vacant vibrant allowed a wider audience to the work and empowerment that holy stitch does. the reason that it's important for small businesses, the ones that their applications that didn't get accepted or approved, it gave them hope and a different perspective on what

vacant vibrant spaces can be. i hope that vacant vibrant helps to support the businesses because there is a height of abandonment issue in san francisco where it's a prized treasure and disappears. vacant vibrant can do more. >> vacant vibrant can do more than a pop-up and see what that looks like. >> that can allow them to be the . >> and everyone. my name is kunal mody i'm mayor lori's chief of health homelessness and family services. thank you for joining us here today for this very exciting moment for our city.

so without further ado i'd like to introduce mayor lori. >> thank you all. thank you all for being here. >> supervisors, thank you for being here. >> i appreciate it. i want to welcome although i don't see him so i'm not going to welcome our board president rafael mandolin. but if he was here, i would welcome him. uh, supervisor melgar. supervisor chan. supervisor chen. supervisor jackie fielder. supervisor matt dorsey. one month in. >> thank you all for being here. this is a really, really important day for san francisco. about a month ago i was walking down sixth street when a group of police officers and firefighters arrived to respond

to a corner with heavy drug use. one man named terry had been using fentanyl. when they arrived the officers instructed terry and the other men to gather their belongings and they offered a range of services. it seemed likely in that moment that terry might enter a treatment program. and when a reporter who was following me asked if he would you know what he said god willing i see interactions like that almost on a daily basis. i saw it with supervisor fielder in the mission last week and they make me hopeful that we can tackle the drug crisis on our streets. on sixth street and across the tenderloin in soma in the mission. >> our neighbors need help. and every day officers and outreach workers offer that help. >> but what happens when

someone says yes? for decades that person has been back out on the street using drugs a week. a month. a year later it is a new day in san francisco. we are going to be a national leader in public health in behavioral health treatment, addiction recovery and health care access. it's going to take creativity, compassion and collaboration. and that is exactly what danzhai brings to the table. and i am proud to appoint him as the new director of the department of public health. >> dan's career has been defined by a deep commitment to public service and improving health outcomes for those most in need. he has nearly two decades of experience transforming health

care systems at the state and national levels. most recently running the federal medicaid program where he helped enroll more people in health coverage than at any point in history. he led efforts to strengthen mental health and substance use care and make public health care systems more efficient and effective. before that, dan was the medicaid director in massachusetts leading reforms that improved access to care for millions of people. and before that he worked in the private sector designing and implementing innovative models to improve health care for all americans. he understands what it takes to make a public health system work not just in theory but in practice. his experience is broad but his commitment to patient and communities is clear throughout. now he brings that expertise and dedication to san francisco

. and in our last meeting i will say that he walked into city hall and i looked and i said can we go walking? and we got up and we walked through the tenderloin and seeing him and his compassion right then and there knew it. i knew that he was the right person to lead this department. the work ahead is urgent. and dan and i agree we cannot afford to let bureaucracy slow us down. but while behavioral health is critical, it is only part of the mandate we are going to bring a whole of government approach to supporting providers and the patients they care for. we are going to build on s.f. general's reputation as a crown jewel of our country's health care system and we are going to be there for the frontline workers in our clinics like maria martinez clinic right here in san franciscans of all

ages rely on the services we provide. and dan will work every day to improve all of those services. before i close, i want to thank dr. naveen baba who stepped up as the interim head. >> thank you, doctor. i appreciate it. >> thank you for your leadership. and thank you to all the professionals and the entire team at h. i'll end with this. government works best when every department works well together. i've seen it in my first month as mayor and i know kunal puts it in action every day as the chief of health, homelessness and family services services. when you hear how dan's former colleagues talk about him as a person and a professional, it is clear that the spirit of collaboration is core to his work as well. the department of public health needs a leader who is ready to break down silos at decisive

and offer innovative solutions that meet the challenges that we face. dan is that leader. with that i'm proud to announce introduce the new director of the department of public health dan simon. >> thank you. thank you mayor, for those very kind words. my wife kathy is here and my boys elliot and ali. hello, boys. elliot is six. >> allie is three. kathy has had to deal with ten years of around the clock public service already. >> so here we go again. thank you. and to the board of supervisors i look forward. i don't have all the names down yet. i look forward to getting to know everybody and to to working and partnering together and getting some real common sense things done for the city. to commissioners of the health

commission who grilled me for two hours in the evening. i enjoyed the discussion. i have to say it was thoughtful as provoking as it was it was great and i'm i'm excited i, i am beyond thrilled excited honored to be appointed by the mayor in this role to be joining this administration and to be joining the fantastic team at age and here in san francisco with really a stellar reputation across the country as the mayor said, i've spent my entire career trying to make health care better and to better serve people that would otherwise fall through the cracks. and i've spent the past decade in public service at the national and state levels and this work excites me. it gets me up in the morning when the kids don't and i love moving. solving intractable problems with the great team but i also love being able to walk the

streets and see people look people in the eye and understand the impact of what we do and the meaning of it. and i feel that same level of excitement i think as i look forward to working with the mayor and the whole team here in san francisco and i'm also excited that when i explain to my boys what i do for work for 410 years now i've just said daddy helps people make sure they can get access to a doctor when they need it or help whatever their life situation is. and i think the team here at h continues that. so i'm deeply excited. and one of my first meetings with the mayor that that walk that you mentioned with council as well where you outlined your vision for the city and why a world class health care public health care and health care system is so vital to that. i also i asked you some pointed questions you answered them correctly. >> no, but i remember leaving that meeting feeling this tingling sense of excitement.

i called cathy actually afterwards i was ready to roll up my sleeves and that's what i feel now and i'm very privileged and honored to be able to join the team here. san francisco has such a legacy in public health between the general that the sort of clinics like the one we're standing in now and staff that really are among the nation's finest. at the same time there's opportunity to build on that strength and that foundation with new approaches and we have i believe the opportunity to continue to build a world class premier health care delivery system right here in the city that delivers world class patient outcomes and an experience that every one of us for ourselves, our kids, our family members we should want to get all of our care through the san francisco public health system. don't worry. i'm not saying everyone's going to be able to but that is the sort of bar you want the public health care system to be the finest. and we also are here in the bay area in silicon valley where

there are so many startups trying to solve giant challenges and health care. many of them don't have the ability to focus on the safety net or do things at scale. when you look at what san francisco has in the public health care system, it is unique. it has all the elements we have the ability to build and pioneer and show both the city and the nation what we are capable of and that's deeply exciting and of course front and center right now is tackling together the opioid and homelessness crisis and making real tangible progress around that compassionately effectively helping the folks on the streets and in this community. there's so much to do there. i'm ready to dig in and roll up our sleeves into the staff and i'm excited to get to know you all to partner together and with the community as well. so with that, thank you mayor, for this honor. thank you to all of you, kathy and the kids thank you as well. >> so i'm going to turn it back to the mayor. thank you. >> i happy to take a few

questions in the media questions just raise your hand . so i want to i have a question for me so i think that this year is one of highest priorities of how we use your background as a federal director of public private partnerships that address this local crisis here i think i'm making progress on the fentanyl crisis is priority one, two, three and four and making clear common sense improvements, making sure people can get access to treatment that we have sufficient treatment capacity. we have the ability to get people into a whole continuum of care and i think certainly having moved things at the federal and state level and seeing things as a systems level that is exciting and i think i bring some of that but the work ahead i would emphasize it's difficult and

it's execution. it's putting one foot ahead of another and making sure we get the building blocks in place to get treatment in place and to get people connected to treatment. >> and let me just add this is where collaboration really is critical,. we need all of our departments working well together behavioral health, law enforcement everyone needs to be working well together and that's what he brings to the table. >> yeah i remember you mr. mayor. you know we talk about continuum of care that the issue of people getting back out onto the streets after going through this rehabilitation process. are there any models national league or in other cities that you were looking to that have kind of a good success rate because it seems to be a problem that no one has been able to solve. >> so i think you're exactly right and from a federal standpoint, we spent a good portion of the past four years debating working with states and counties all across the

country on exactly that. i think there are few things that are clear. number one, especially for fentanyl addiction, the path to treatment and recovery. >> it's not linear and so folks make forward progress make backward progress and the type of clinical capacity and supports we need need to be able to account for that and someone having being able to move forward and back around that. the second thing that i think that's very clear is generally speaking our health care system is good at dealing with someone when they are in immediate crisis let's say a detox or figuring out how to have someone stable housed maybe affordably housed once there's the right structure in place there's an entire middle piece that i don't think anyone across the country has fully figured out. that's why this is both such an exciting but important and momentous challenge ahead of us that the mayor is really assist with. >> so thank you. and then mayor laurie with the approval of your fentanyl ordinance, have you started the process of soliciting donors to

address issues like this? >> actually it hasn't been approved. it goes today i believe and so it'll hopefully be passed today. we have not approached because the law an ordinance has not been passed before people in mind for once that is approved . >> next question. yeah, go ahead in the back of this side, can you tell us a little bit more about your background and what did you probably i'm sure all right. i know you probably go to mama i'm sure my chinese name is taiwan. um, so my daniel way hence i. i am let's see, i've got two kids oliver and elliot. i was originally born in new york. don't hold that against me. spent many years in massachusetts and i now live

here in the bay area and so i'm really, really excited to be starting on this journey together. >> thank you. mayor you have obviously set ambitious goals to both expand behavioral and addiction treatment and expand shelter capacity as the process for finding locations for those services began. >> and where are we at with that because yeah kunal and i are going out and seeing sites existing shelter locations that could we could add capacity to and additional sites as well. we continue to do that in a number of places. kunal can get more into that in details but we're excited to press play tomorrow once this is passed and start reaching out to those that want to support us outside of government. but i also want to really once again thank every single one of the supervisors here all working very well together including with supervisor chan

on getting a ten one vote and it shows that we're all lying that this is a crisis. it demands us acting with urgency. dan understands that he's compassionate, he's tough and he's he knows how to get big things done and that's what we need to do here. this is a crisis the likes of which we have not seen before i mentioned before. but i want to say it again i walked with supervisor fielder in the mission last week. i went back to the same place to day that we walked just last week and it was not good. we have so much work to do. i am not going to give up you know i talk about this every single day. what we are seeing on our streets is not dignified, it's not humane. we have to get people the help that they need. and dan, i can think of no better leader in this country to help lead the charge . this is, you know, a huge challenge for all of us and we

have the we are getting the right people in place to attack it. >> so thank you, adam mr. president, for your photo

>> i think there would be a lot more suffering. >> if i imagine san francisco without animal care and control, i know there would be thousands of animals every year who just wouldn't get that chance. whether that means going home with a family, being released in the wild without this concerted thoughtful group focused on all these animals. the big picture view and daily care. so many animals would be lost. >> but i don't think people understand what goes on. they don't know how hard the staff works taking care of

animals. >> it is just two people. one upstairs and one downstairs and the cleaning is total, 6, 7ish. one side starts off doing chemical, i close these all off so the dogs can't come in the back, and then i'm going to spray the back, (indiscernible) >> all the magic to rehome and work with a rescue network and all the medical care and behavioral and enrichment, socialization enrichment, volunteers are amazing. so, i think if i had a waish wish, i wish that san francisco knew more about what we do. >> san francisco animal care and control is a vital part of making sure animals in this

community are protected and are cared for. we deal with those domestic and wildlife. one of the primary suction is serve as a shelter. when animals have no where else to go, here is where they come. we take in about 9,000 animals a year and the care they receive here and the ability to move from here if domestic on to permanent homes somewhere else, or if you are wildlife you come here and we figure which wildlife rehubibitator to send to. that is the shelter aspect. we also have animal control officers who are available from 6 a.m. to midnight. >> ask them to give us a call, that would be great. the number is 415-554-9400, and you can just ask for rebecca. thank you so much.

bye. >> we receive approximately 20 thousand calls a year for assistance, so a lot is wildlife rescue, lost dogs, dangerous situations. we also investigate animal abuse, animal neglect. got a lot going on here. >> without us, there would be a lot more (indiscernible) a lot more animals suffering. who would people call? the police? fire? they have their own jobs and don't have resources or knowledge. they don't know how to help animals. so much hoar suffering. >> we took in 2800 animals last year. without a shelter where do the animals go? i think the community would suffer if we were not here. >> whether living on the street or (indiscernible) animals are very important to people, so we are

helping humans also, and we are alleviating a lot of suffering by doing our jobs. >> i finish 11 times. i don't wish no one to be shot, but it is something that i never get over.

the wrap around program really changed my life and they was there for me day one and i thank them so much. i couldn't do it without them. >> wrap around formed as a result of understanding early on in my career that what i was doing as a trauma surgeon was not enough. i needed help. i needed the community that was impacted the most by violence to direct me to understanding what was necessary to be more comprehensive in creating care for patients and to really change people's life course. >> the number of people coming into the hospital were youth.

we wrap our arms around the people who come through so we try to equip with not only services, but just love and you know, we really try to meet their needs. >> we helped support them with services after recovery or while they are here, they need services anywhere from housing to basic needs, clothing, employment. we link to those services in hopes that we don't ever have to see them come back. >> my biggest wish and goal for the future of the wrap around project is that it wouldn't have to exist. that we wouldn't have anymore violently injured people that our job is trauma surgeons would be defunth.

>> to see them start walking again, to see them laughing and being happy, to feel like you know what, this happened to me, but i'm going to make it, you know? i think no amount of money can ever pay us for that. >> it is rewarding to intercede and you know [indiscernible] change the trajectory of a child's life is awesome. we want to give them tools to be productive members of society, and give them a chance to have a future.

>> it gives me joy to be able to be a part of a young person's life and help them map out what their future looks like. you know, you can never get over trauma, but you can live with good amazing life after it and learn how to manage it and stuff like that, so we hope do that with them. >> mike, you know what, i am a manager now at this job. the job you hooked me up, that

is impact. that is a heartfelt, you know what, me work want in vain. that work is unmatched so to speak. >> they like family. they help, they check in, call me, see how i'm doing, you know? and i'm very thankful. they have that good at mosphere where you don't have to be scared, you don't have to feel you all by yourself, because they there and they have been there.